The synopsis of this sounded so intriguing that I couldn't wait to read it and I wasn't disappointed.

The story is gothic and haunting and at times reminded me of The Secret Garden.

The main character is Signa, who has found herself with a series of different guardians since she was a young child, but now she has arrived at Thorn Grove to reside with her uncle - as her new guardian - and cousins, only to find them trying to deal with loss and another illness in the family.

Haunted by the ghost of their wife/mother, Signa quickly realises that she needs to figure out what happened to her, as her cousin shows the very same symptoms, and find a way to cure her.

She enlists the help of Death himself, and Sylas, the stable boy, and inbetween the sleuthing, begins to find herself having confusing feelings regarding both.

Really enjoyed this one and will definitely be picking up the sequel, Foxglove, to find out what happens next!

4.5/5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Belladonna, a murder mystery taking place in a gothic-infused world,

Signa Farrow became an orphan when she was only a baby. By the age of 19 Signa had been raised string of greedy guardians who have met an unfortunate end of their lives. After her last guardian met her end Signa ends up moving in with her remaining family, the Hawthornes.

- An Father that mourns the dead of his wife, a son that values his reputation and a daughter who is suffering from a mysterious illness. -

When Signa sets foot in Thorn Grave, the Hawthorne estate, the spirit of their mother appears before her and asks for help to uncover the truth of her dead and save her family. Signa has to side with Death himself who had made Signa's life a living hell. The connection between Signa and Death is becoming stronger and irresistible. What will Signa uncover?

The story was absolutely amazing. It felt very refreshing. I loved Signa's and Blythe's characters and strong personalities. It really was a mystery to me what would happen in the end and it wasn't predictable in my opinion which I absolutely loved. It kept me thinking about theories on what would happen until the end.

Unfortunately, I felt like there were a few plot holes in the story. I currently have a few questions left open after finishing the story. Besides this I would recommend to read Belladonna.

"To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music. Light to someone who has only seen the darkness."

A very beautifully written story with incredibly imagery that will keep you spooked throughout. Very similar in imagery and plot to The Secret Garden so if you are a fan of that, definitely check this out.

The plot is amazing, such a fascinating concept involving death of all people but the biggest issue is that its very very boring. My 3 star rating is generous as I almost dnfd the book at 68% because I didn't feel I could continue but I'm glad I did as the ending was interesting.

There is a cliffhanger ending but it is also a wrapped up mystery so I'm satisfied and intrigued for the next one despite my dislike for a lot of this book.

If you like slow placed books then this is a great one with a fun mystery and a very unique protagonist and love interest.

“Don’t say my name,” Signa told him. “Upon Death’s tongue, it sounds like a curse.”
He laughed. “Your name is no curse, Little Bird. I just like the taste of it.”

Signa Farrow has been followed by Death her whole life. Her parents and their entire household were poisoned when she was a baby but, somehow, Signa survived. Since her grandmother’s death when she was a child, Signa has been shuffled from one uncaring guardian to another, constantly fearful of Death’s shadow upon her life, wishing for a day when she will again be loved and no longer alone.
When her latest guardian’s death brings her to Thorn Grove and the Hawthorne family, Signa is cautiously optimistic - could this be the family she has yearned for? Could she belong here?
But Death stalks these halls as well, and if Signa cannot master her mysterious gifts quickly, and find out what is making her cousin so sick, she may lose the only family she has left.

This book. THIS BOOK. I have grinned, laughed, and felt like crying for Signa, and Death, and so many of the characters in Belladonna. I adored them.

Signa and her powers - which she is determined to master, despite her fear that they will continue her ostracisation from society - were intriguing. I felt like the identity and motives of everyone in this story came into question at some point, and I spent most of the book suspecting the wrong person - which I love!

Signa’s character development and her journey to realise that perhaps her grandmother had presented an idealised version of her mother was heartbreaking, but I loved seeing her slowly accept herself and all that she is.
Similarly I adored that Blythe was so forthright in her determination to belong to no one but herself, and how her perspective gave Signa an insight into what the life she thought she wanted might look like.

I am so excited for the annotated chapters available as a preorder incentive - you should absolutely preorder this for that extra content alone, you’re going to want it. And I cannot wait for the sequel, Foxglove, which is hopefully being released next year.

Belladonna is beautiful and haunting. It is not a story you will soon forget.

Belladonna is the wonderfully descriptive gothic world of Signa Farrow. Death is her companion through this mystery of poison and etiquette of the 19th century. I loved the romance and twists in the tale and cannot wait for more! Fantastic 5 stars!

Adalyn Grace does it yet again! A captivating read that you simply cannot put down. Enemies to lovers trope but with death as the main characters enemy? Can’t wait for the sequel!

Today we are talking about Adalyn Grace's new book, Belladonna, out on August 30, 2022.

The plot:
We have a young lady who loses her family very young and since that day she is forced to move to the estates and manors of relatives who continue to die for strange and mysterious reasons.

Signa, our main character, has a special ability, she cannot die, and when she does something that could kill her, like eating the very poisonous Belladonna berries, instead of dying she finds herself face to face with death. After each meeting an ever stronger bond is created with this figure, that is death personified, until a real love between the 2 blossoms. In addition, the two will also have to try to solve the mysterious deaths that affect all the relatives of Signa like a kind of murder mystery novel very nice.

From the plot I think it is clear that the book is a gothic fantasy romance with a hint of murder mystery.

It is definitely a very gothic read, absolutely recommended for the spooky season, it talks about large estates and haunted manors, masked balls, eerie gardens, botany/witchcraft, poisons and of course death!

The main character, Signa, I really liked her a lot, I loved her personality, her path in accepting her "powers" and obviously her relationship with death, that is this figure never defined, always in the shadows and very mysterious but somewhat intriguing and attractive. I loved the interactions between these two characters and the development of their unusual relationship… having a relationship with death?? Kinda strange!

Switching to the “negative” elements, I can say that in some points the story is a bit banal or easy and I struggled a bit to get interested in the novel (in my opinion the first 30/40% is very slow) but once that this “obstacle” is overcome everything becomes smooth and exciting!

And now let's talk about the ending (NO SPOILER)
The ending is a crazy cliffhanger… a shocking thing is revealed and then… nothing, nada, zero, the book is over!

Obviously I'm anxiously waiting for the second book to understand how the story will evolve.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton and Adalyn Grace for providing me with this e-ARC.

This was a haunting tale with very enigmatic characters. It was mysterious and a little sultry. Perhaps my favourite thing was the interesting relationship between good/evil in the representation of death and life. The characters were all grey and mysterious - you were never FULLY sure who to trust and it kept you guessing until the end.

"To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music. Light to someone who has only seen the darkness."

I'm a big fan of stories in which Death is a character, like 'The Book Thief', 'Mort', and 'Meet Joe Black'. It's so human to be both fascinated and repulsed by the idea of death and 'Belladonna', the first in a new fantasy duology, explores both these aspects.

Signa Farrow isn't like other young women. She's an orphan, passed along from guardian to guardian while she waits to inherit her fortune. One after the other, her guardians – some of whom seriously neglect her – die. Signa can also see spirits. And the reaper – Death itself, whom she blames for her misfortune.

Signa is able to summon Death by eating poisonous Belladonna berries, essentially dying and coming back to life. She hates his presence and wants to know how she can stop him. But when she's summoned to live with her distant and last remaining family at Thorn Grove estate, she soon is embroiled in a dangerous plot.

Someone is poisoning her cousin, Blythe, who's lying at death's door, after Blythe's mother Lilian dies, ostensibly from the same cause. Signa is visited by Lilian's spirit, who indicates someone is trying to harm the family. With the help of the mysterious stable boy, Sylas, and the aid of Death himself, Signa is racing against time to solve the mystery and save Blythe. And soon, Signa realises, Death is not who she thought he was – he could be a valuable ally, possibly more.

I really enjoyed this book and gobbled it up in less than a day. I'm hoping one of my subscription boxes does a special edition because I got my copy via NetGalley and would love a beautiful hardback edition. A highly entertaining read and I cannot wait to read the second book, which is, unfortunately, only expected at the beginning of 2023.

First of all: I don't know why it took me this long to read Belladonna, because this was really good.
Second of all: nooo. I really could've done without the cliffhanger. This book would've worked so well as a standalone.

I really liked the atmosphere in this book - moody gothic settings are a favourite of mine.

The characters were pretty great too.
The protagonist, Signa, is such a strong character. On one hand she is trying to find her place in society and to fit in, on the other hand she quesions the strict societal rules and norms. She wants more from life and I couldn't help but like her.

"She wanted more than gossip and tea. More than maintaining a house, and ensuring her script was nice and her piano playing tolerable."

Then there's Death. He's surprisingly likable, considering his, uh, job. He somehow is a really nice(?) person and dedicated to helping Signa. What's not to like?

The main theme of the plot is the (murder) mystery aspect, with a touch of fantasy of course, and even though I did predict the "bad guy" about halfway through the book, there were a bunch of plot twists that I didn't see coming.
There's a cliché masquerade ball that nearly every ya fantasy seems to have by now, but at least there's a fun "surprise".

My single critique (if I can even call it that) was the character of Charlotte. She's a former friend of Signa, but they lost contact years before the plot sets in. They do meet again, but Charlotte doesn't really contribute anything to the plot which made it seem to me like she was just there to be "the POC friend". I hope I'm wrong there and that she gets a more important role in the sequel.

Overall I absolutely enjoyed Belladonna and I wish I could read the sequel already.

I’d like to start out by thanking Netgalley and the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Belladonna follows a young woman whose left behind a string of dead guardians, ever since her parents died whilst she was an infant. Now, Signa resides with her last living relatives, awaiting the time she’s old enough to reclaim her estate, but she risks losing them to death as well. A life has already been lost, and the life of Signa’s cousin hangs in a thread when she arrives. But this isn’t a mere sickness, it’s the effect of Belladonna berries and a murderer in the loose.

In order to save her cousin, Signa forms an unlikely alliance with Death himself, who's been watching over her since she was a child.

Whist I really enjoyed the gothic vibes of this book, most of the characters, as well as the murder mystery aspect, this book ended up having bumped down from a five star to a four star. Why, you ask? The romance, which played a large part in this story, as well as quite a few plot twists, which I predicted quite early on. Though don’t let this dissuade you from reading, as everything else is easily a five star. Especially if you like deeply atmospheric books.

My main issue with the romance is that Death has been watching over Signa since infancy and has protected her by claiming the lives of those who might use her. The fact that he has gone from this sort of “hidden guardian” to loving and lusting after her just gave me the ick. I feel like this could have been solved so easily by having him meet her when she was already an adult, and having another reaper figure take the souls of her parents when she was an infant.

The ending was very interesting though, and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel to see where the story goes after a cliffhanger like that.

I’ll also be sharing this review on my Instagram (@Kratist0) very soon.

Thank you to Hodder Books and Netgalley for the advance e-Arc of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace to read in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit I did not know much about this story before diving into it other than the novel had gothic themes and was highly anticipated by many readers.

This book was a massive surprise and the writing had me hooked from the first chapter.

The story follows Signa Farrow who has been able to see death since a young age following the death of her parents. Set to inherit a vast fortune when she turns 20 Signa has moved from guardian to guardian with death always following. Following her aunts death Signa arrives at Thorn Grove where she discovers the Hawthorne family are also plagued by death.

Her cousin Blythe is ill with the same affliction that took her mother Lillian and with days to go Signa must uncover the mystery of Thorngrove and the curse that seems to be upon the family all while keeping death at bay.

This story was a complete surprise to me I was so hooked that I finished this within a day.

I loved the mystery meets gothic theme of the story and the almost enemies to lovers arc between herself and death. The book itself had many twists and turns that it took awhile to decipher. The mystery was well crafted and the revelation of the person who murdered Lillian and has been poisoning Blythe did keep you guessing throughout.

Main plot aside I also enjoyed the interactions between her and death when she is learning more about the powers she possesses and how to use them to solve the mystery.

I also enjoyed the relationship built between Signa and Blythe following their first rocky encounter as they rely on each other more and become almost like sisters. I hope this continues in the sequel.

The book ends on a cliffhanger with another mystery to solve and the announcement of the sequel Foxglove. This is a sequel I will definitely be reading and I recommend Belladonna to anyone who is a fan of mystery fiction and gothic themes.

Victorian gothic murder mystery wrapped in a cloak of fantasy and romance. That's basically how I'd describe this book and what a lovely book it was.

Gorgeous writing, really. The descriptions, the metaphors - they are everything! There are so many sentences I'd love to quote here just for their beauty.
The book overall has a great flow to it. It's an easy read and the language is simple, but lovely. The story takes its time, but I was never bored. The tension slowly and steadily built up and I really needed to know what was going to happen. In the end I could barely put it down.

The characters were very well fleshed out. Even the less important characters were enjoyable in their own ways. Signa of course is amazing and she was quite an interesting character. She is such a determined and sweet girl and her powers are awesome.
Death is also great (I always feel really weird writing sentences like that). Just the right combination of rude, condescending and seriously kind. I love this kind of death; mysterious but not evil. Instead, he's gentle and inevitable. I was a bit worried about getting a love triangle, but the romantic resolution ended up being solved in a very nice (although not that surprising) way and I'm very happy with it.

Apart from the romance, the resolution of the story actually did surprise me in a very pleasant way I wasn't expecting. And the very end - yes. Just yes. I'm looking forward to the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for offering me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book, this wonderfully intoxicating book!

It’s been a while since a book has had me so thoroughly hooked. Everything about it, the characters, the setting and the whole vibe would make this a great choice for spooky season.

This book has wormed its way into my heart and made its way into my top 3 of 2022 so far. The easiest 5 stars i have ever given out.

Signa Farrow is such an incredible lead. She’s been through the ringer. Despite having a fortune to inherit she’s lived in poverty, she’s faced hardships you could only imagine and yet, she’s still kind. She’s fierce. She’s protective of those she cares about and her growth throughout the book is beautiful.

The plot is so utterly unique and such a wonderful concept. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? It kept me guessing all the way through and I was certain I’d worked out the murderer but alas i was left with my jaw on the floor! It was fantastic. And that ending?! What a ride.

As I said, perfect for spooky season. Ghosties, special powers, death and a healthy dose of intrigue makes this an utterly enthralling read

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm a sucker for any book that gives me Hades and Persephone vibes so this book immediately went onto my anticipated releases list when I discovered it. Whilst this is not a re-telling, it personally gave me loads of Hades and Persephone vibes. I wish I could say the 5-star rating is solely down to that, but, I can't so here are my thoughts.

The opening to this book instantly had me hooked. Signa was orphaned as an infant and so that immediately made me wonder what life has been like for her, especially given the events of the opening. After numerous different guardians, who are more interested in her wealth than looking after her, Signa finds herself invited to Thorn Grave and from there, everything changes. The patriarch is still mourning his wife's death through partying, his son is trying to prove himself by fighting for the family's reputation and his daughter is battling a mysterious sickness. The same sickness that claimed the life of their mother. When Signa realises that foul play might be to blame, she enlists the help of Sylas, a stable boy, to help hunt down the killer before it's too late.

Signa is an interesting character. She's connected to death in so many ways. When she realises that she can't solve this murder without his help, they build an alliance. Through this, she learns so much not about who she is but what she can do. As for the other characters, I loved them. To some, Elijah may seem like a distant father, a father more focused on throwing parties than his children. To me, he's a father still grieving the loss of his true love and preparing to potentially lose his daughter. We all grieve in different ways and Elijah is a perfect example of that. Sylas was just amazing. I loved the way he cared about Signa, how he was always there for her. Signa has never truly had someone who wants to care, with one exception, for her just because of her wealth and it was nice to see that when she arrived at Thorn Grove, that was not the case. Anyone who knows me knows I love villains, the morally grey and anti-heros so, obviously, I loved Death with my whole heart. I hope to see much more of him in the second book.

The accuracy with belladonna (also known as atropa belladonna or deadly nightshade) being poisonous and the antidote was surprising, in a good way. I'm not a nature person so I wasn't aware of this until someone pointed it out to me. I have to say, I would have thought a fictional poison/antidote would have been used so it was refreshing to see this.

The plot twist in this book had me SHOOK. Like whaaatttt??? I swear books are out to give me heart attacks with all these plot twists!

Whilst reading I did find it to be over-descriptive and as a result, I kept getting distracted. However, upon finishing and thinking on it, the over-description worked really well and added a bit more depth to the book, especially since the sequel promises to be another rollercoaster.

If you're a fan of all things fantasy, death, gothic and betrayal, be sure to pick this book up!

"Signa opened her eyes, and Death was before her. Watching. Waiting."

Let's talk about Belladonna by Adalyn Grace!
Before we started I wanted to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some info before starting and what you will find in this book:
- Belladonna will be released on August 30th.
- gothic fantasy-romance-mystery
-forbidden love story
- Death personification
- hidden identities
- series (sequel comes out in 2023)

Some more information -> For many elements it reminded me a lot of Kingdom Of The Wicked (here, however, the key point is developed a little better in my opinion) since there is a personification, a mystery to be solved and much more !

It certainly has a gothic mood, just like the vibes and setting, but also as themes!
Signa is a young orphan girl. In one way or another she will find herself having to deal with Death (who is personified) to try to solve the mystery of various deaths and poisonings.

At first I found the narration a little bit slow but I must say that things are made very clear right away. It's a book quite focused on the protagonist and the acceptance of what are her qualities, her powers, however scary they may be.The development of the plot, as well as of the mystery goes hand in hand with the romance that is created from the beginning. Death is a fantastic love interest. I think the characterization of this character, but even more of the interactions between the two, were magnificent. The writing on these scenes becomes divine and extremely poetic, almost sweet, a bit in contrast with the context!

"When I touch someone, I see the life they've lived in fleshes of memories as they die. But the first time I touched you, it was your future I saw. A glimpse of you in my arms, dancing in a beautiful red dress beneath the moonlight. You are what I want. I know I cannot force you to want me in return, but say that you do, and I promise thai I am wholly and unequivocally yours."

I can say that despite having been invested in reading only after the first half (the second half I read it in a VERY short time) I liked the book very much, fun, dynamic even if with a lot of reflections and Signa and Death carry on all the cart.The ending is with cliffangher, so be prepared if you want to read, even if absolutely interesting and that makes you hold your breath right at the very last line!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book
If you like Victorian era meets dark academia, this is definitely the book for you .
I am in love with this book, As someone who craves darkness affiliated love interests, thus is everythung I’ve wanted and more, signa was a main character was so refreshing to read and her interactions with death were just *chefs kiss*. The plot twist- I WAS SHOOKETH.

Where Signa Farrow goes, Death follows. Orphaned as a baby, Signa has been passed from family member to family member, with every single one meeting an untimely end. Now she is on the way to life with the Hawthorn's, an eccentric and rich family who reside at Thorn Grove. But when Signa gets there Death is already waiting for her. Lillian Hawthorne died suddenly and now her daughter is suffering from the same illness & not long after her arrival Signa is visited by Lillians ghost, asking for help to save her daughter. Alongside Silas, a surly stable boy, and Death himself, Signa will have to delve into the Hawthorn families past if she is to find out who is poisoning them, and ensure that Death takes no more of her family before their time.

Signa is such a fantastic character. She is a girl desperate for a family, so desperate that she will accept any scrap of affection sent her way, but there are others who feel she deserves more. After her family was killed when she was a child, Signa has been able to sense and communicate with Death and spirits, something that makes her different, special and dangerous, something she has to hide. But when she arrives at Thorn Grove and senses Death's present, she is more that ready to stand up against him, refusing to let him take another family member from her. She is headstrong, determined, but also so determined to try and fit into polite society, to behave like they expect a young woman should, that she denies herself things she wants, sometimes needs.

Grace also treats us to a tight-knit and incredibly well developed cast of side characters, my favourites being Silas, the stable boy who helps Signa uncover the mystery surrounding Thorn Grove, Blythe, her cousin whose life she saves, and Death, who isn't the traditional dark, uncaring being we see in other stories, rather someone who cares deeply for those under his care and, on finding someone in Signa who he can talk to, who can see him, finds that he is reluctant to let her go.

The magic system in this story was incredibly well developed and extremely easy to understand. Signa was born with the ability to see spirits and even Death himself, able to communicate with them. This obviously plays a large part in the story, with Signa having to uncover the mystery of who poisoned Lillian and is doing the same to Blythe now. It's creepy in parts, not all of the spirits are helpful or friendly. It's got big Gothic vibes with a family shrouded in secrets and a manor haunted by spirits & Grace's writing style certainly helps bring this atmosphere to life. There's a multitude of plot twists, some I got right of the bat and others that slowly un-winded throughout the story, but they were all perfectly executed and added an extra amount of tension and drama to the plot.

If you like your romances slow & steady, with plenty of longing glances, gentle touches, regency with a little added heat, then this is the book for you. Though there are two love interests throughout the book, it never gave off love triangle vibes, thanks in large part to us only getting Signa's POV and her not trusting her own feelings, never mind that of others. The romance was almost inevitable, like it was fated to be, and I loved seeing them go from being snarky with one another, not quite willing to trust, to learning that they are not wholly what they seem, rather misunderstood, and then the feelings stemming from that.

The story ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, but that's just made me even more eager to get my hands on the next book. This story just highlighted for me how important it is to give second chances, I really didn't enjoy Grace's first book, but this blew me away. Everything from the characters to the writing was more mature, and her use of tropes throughout the story was executed incredibly well. I'm eager to see what she has in store for us next.

Absolutely adored this book. It has an interesting take on the relation ship between death and our MC and the mystery of solving a death was well written. The story felt well structured and the characters well thought and developed throughout. I think this might be one of my fav reads for the year.

I think I am in minority here for not having loved the book as much as all the other people have, which is fine, but I really wanted to love it.
The writing was okay, not an issue, but I really struggled to like the characters and their interactions. It just did not vibe for me sadly.